Inland Port Dillon expands opportunity for farmers

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Local farmers now have a new helping hand at Inland Port Dillon.

The South Carolina Ports Authority announced Tuesday the opening of C&M Hog Farm’s transload facility, which handles soybeans and other local products bound for overseas markets.

“The expansion of C&M is exciting news that reflects the benefits of Inland Port Dillon for farming and agricultural business across the Carolinas,” SCPA CEO Jim Newsome said. “We look forward to continuing to play a strong role in the addition of jobs and economic development activity in the region.”

“As South Carolina’s leading industry, agriculture is a direct beneficiary of Inland Port Dillon,” South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers said. “C&M is a great example of how the Inland Port is creating new opportunities of growth for our state’s farmers. And as we continue growing our agribusiness industry, I know Inland Port Dillon will continually be vital to future expansion opportunities.”

“Our family farm has been serving the local farming community for many years,” said Richard Myers, co-operator of C&M Hog Farm. “We are proud to expand our business operations in order to provide farmers with a new, competitive access point to the global marketplace as well as bring new jobs to Dillon County.”

Demand for facilities to transload North and South Carolina agriculture products including soybeans, grains, peanuts, and animal feeds has increased significantly since the opening of Inland Port Dillon in April 2018. In addition to next-day rail service to and from SCPA’s marine terminals, Inland Port Dillon provides local access to empty containers and the added cost benefit of a round-trip pipeline for loaded containers.

Established in 1987, C&M is an independent hog farm, local grain elevator and trucking company in Latta, South Carolina.

South Carolina Ports Authority, established by the state’s General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport and intermodal facilities in Charleston, Dillon, Georgetown and Greer. The port operations facilitate 187,200 statewide jobs and generate nearly $53 billion annual economic activity.